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TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Early Lead Doesn't Stand as Travelers Walk-Off Naturals

June 11, 2016 - Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Ryan O'Hearn hit a two-run homer in the first and Jack Lopez had a two-out, run-scoring single in the ninth to tie the game; but the Travelers prevailed in their final at-bat. Anthony Phillips hit a walk-off RBI single to send the Naturals to a 5-4 defeat at Dickey-Stephens Park on Saturday night.

Carlos Garcia led off the game with a double which dropped into shallow left field and scored the game's first run on a José Briceno passed ball.

Corey Toups singled two batters later and came along for the ride on O'Hearn's big fly in a three-run first inning. The former eighth-round selection blasted an inside fastball from Traveler's starter, Victor Alcantara, halfway up the grass been in right-centerfield to highlight the offensive explosion in the first.

Right-handed, Pedro Fernandez, made his first start for the Naturals tonight and pitched around two runs and a two errors behind him to keep the Naturals lead intact. Fernandez went 3.2 innings, allowed two runs on five hits and struck out two, leaving in the fourth with a 3-2 lead.

Newly added right-hander, Matt Alvarez, entered in relief of Fernandez in the fourth and surrendered two consecutive singles and a two-run triple, as the Travelers took a 3-2 lead. In his Double-A debut, Alvarez worked an inning in relief and struck out one.

Left-hander, Eric Stout, jogged in from the bullpen in the fifth inning with two-on and two-outs and struck out the first batter he faced to get out of the jam, keeping the deficit at 3-2. The southpaw kept the Naturals within striking distance, working across 2.1 innings of shutout baseball and fanned four hitters.

Arkansas (25-36) gave up the lead in the top of the ninth inning. Bubba Starling was struck by a D.J. Johnson fastball to open the frame and moved to third on a single by Allan de San Miguel to put the tying run 90 feet away.

That brought Lopez to the plate. The infielder took a two-strike, two-out pitch back up the middle to score Starling to force a bottom of the ninth.

Right-hander, Evan Beal (2-2, 2.84) struck out the side in the eighth inning, but the Travelers loaded the bases on him on the ninth with the winning run scoring on a base-hit down the right field line.

Logan Moon led the offense with two hits in four at-bats while O'Hearn and Lopez drove in three of the four runs.

Northwest Arkansas (28-33) will send left-handed, Eric Skoglund (3-3, 4.20) to the mound for his 12th start of the season. The Travelers will counter with right-gander, Troy Scribner (3-3, 5.26).

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics



Texas League Stories from June 11, 2016


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